MIKKO

My question is not exactly about museums or monuments and such, but this forum was the closest i could come up with. I'm traveling to London next summer and i was hoping to visit some surplus shops while i'm there. If you guys know any, some tips would be most welcome. Thanks.

John, i had no intention to doubt drivers skills. Surely he was an experienced tanker, Bovington personnel are among most skillful professionals in their alley. I myself have had a clutch failure driving a T-34. The release bearing failed causing gear jamming. Since the mainclutch was out, i stopped the tank by pulling back steering levers that open differential clutches and connect brakes. The controls in T-54 / 55 are basically identical with T-34, although a bit more sophisticated. So, it just seems unbelievable, that all those controls, mainclutch, differential clutch, steering brakes and fuelpump offswitchlever linkage, failed at same time. All those controls are operated independently with eachother. So once more, no disrespect towards the driver, i hope this incident didn't cause him to give up his passion towards tanks. And bottom line, he DID stop the tank and no one got hurt.

I coldn't help putting in my "2 cents" to this thread. I frequently operate russian tanks such as T-34 / 54 / 55, and by far the most reliable way to make them stop is pulling steering levers all the way back. This action cuts the powerline to drivesprockets and connects the steering brakes. The brakepedal, with russian tanks, should only be considered as a way to slow down the speed of tank, not stopping it. If you can steer it, you can stop it. In this case, it seems as if the person driving the tank had no experience of russian tanks.

This is interesting information, thank you everyone. I'm leaning towards silverish aluminium at this point, although i yet have to discover if this specimen was in fact repainted white of the inside during testperiod in Finland.

Hello everyone. I´m new on this this forum. I have a question about interior colour of british light tanks during early -30´s. Were they painted white or some creamy colour, or possibly silver, as i believe most british tanks were during WW2? I´m working with a Vickers Carden-Lloyd light recon tank. Thanks in advance. Mikko.

Hi all! Ashley, your information about Finnish Stug 3's aren't quite right. Finland bought 59 Stug 3's from germany during WW2, in years 1943 and 1944. The s.p. guns were used with great success to defende Finland against the massive attack by Russians in summer 1944. The Bovington Stug is indeed one of those used in Finland and it is all original, although there are some minor postwar alterations, for example, the rear lights and their guards. In fact, most Stugs in Europe's armormuseums come from Finland, for example Munster and Sinsheim. Here in Finland we have 3 Sturmgeschutz 3 ausf.G restored in driving condition. I have taken part in restoring one of them, number 531-18. So, no postwar Stug 3's were built in Finland and i have not heard that they had been built anywhere else either. Best wishes! Mikko.